The PROVE Act: Pre-Registering Youth to Vote

Our democracy is strongest when everyone takes part. That’s why FairVote has worked for many years to make pre-registration for young voters a national standard.

This has become an increasingly popular reform, and today it took another important step forward when U.S. Reps Don Beyer and Keith Ellison, along with Sen. Tammy Duckworth, introduced legislation that would allow Americans to pre-register to vote at 16. “In the 20 states where sixteen year olds can already pre-register, civic engagement for young people is higher,” said Rep. Ellison.

Multiple studies have shown that this reform helps lead to increased voter turnout, engagement, and civic participation.

"It's time to make pre-registration a national norm,” said FairVote Executive Director Rob Richie. “Experience shows that voter pre-registration is good government that efficiently increases the number of young people accurately placed on active voter rolls when they reach voting age.”